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After Accident, Father Targets Heavy Mailboxes

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By JOHN CEBALLOS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2007

APOLLO BEACH - The father of the driver in a fatal car accident says the car's passenger might have survived if homes on the road had a different type of mailbox.

Jay Romer of Gibsonton said at a news conference Thursday that he had visited homes along Apollo Beach Boulevard, urging residents to replace their mailboxes. He brought with him 16 lightweight mailboxes, hoping to give them away to homes along the road that have mailboxes made of dock pilings. He said he also placed fliers with information about the potential obstruction.

On Oct. 25, a BMW driven by Brittany L. Romer, 25, of Gibsonton, veered off the road while heading west, striking several mailbox posts, vaulting into the air and tumbling nearly 300 feet before coming to rest upside down.

The car's passenger, Rachel M. Morris, 20, of Riverview, died at the scene, while Brittany Romer suffered a broken collarbone.

"Instead of breaking away upon impact, the dock piling just bent at a 45-degree angle, which is what launched the car into the air," Jay Romer said.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Debbie Carter said the accident is under investigation.

The preliminary report stated that the driver failed to negotiate a curve just east of Surfside Boulevard. The car struck the dock pilings and vaulted into the air. Romer and Morris were wearing seatbelts, according to a statement.

Though his first few attempts to persuade residents to switch mailboxes were unsuccessful, Romer remained undeterred. He told residents that nobody else has to die if there's another accident in the neighborhood.

"This is not me making an excuse for my daughter's crash," Romer said. "This is a serious issue that I want to help correct before there is another tragedy."

Reporter John Ceballos can be reached at (813) 865-1555 or jceballos@tampatrib.com.

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